DECEMBER 2021 MONTHLY NEWS, INFORMATION & ENTERTAINMENT FOR GLENFIELD
OBITUARY Dr Kenneth Victor Russell KEN RUSSELL died peacefully in October. Among many other accomplishments he was Editor of the Glenfield Gazette for 35 years, author of the Glenfield history books and a parish councillor in Glenfield for over 40 years. He was a busy man who lived life to the full and packed a great deal into his 91 years. Originally from Brierley Hill in the Black Country, he came from a poor background and won a scholarship to King Edward Grammar School in Stourbridge where his love of rugby began. His first job was at British Rail as a railway clerk before his National Service in the RAF. This was followed by teacher training college in Sheffield and further study at Birmingham University. He reached the position of Deputy Head before becoming a Lecturer at Leicester College. Ken obtained a Masters degree, then a PhD to become Dr Russell, and moved to the Law School at what is now De Montfort University. Over this period, he wrote and collaborated on many academic books in law, sociology, criminology and religious studies. Early retirement in the late 1980s was just the opportunity he needed to develop his subsidiary career in publishing. Ken had founded Russells News & Sport Agency years before. He was Midland Rugby Correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph and reported on rugby and hockey for other regional and national publications too. He kept his hand in on the academic side, editing an international legal journal until the age of 88. Somehow Ken also found the time write for the Leicester Mercury. He also of course, founded the Glenfield Gazette which he continued to edit until just last year, and was pleased to see the Gazette continue. The four Glenfield history books he researched and wrote gave him immense satisfaction and have helped to preserve memories, stories and photos of the village from across the years. Ken was also well known in Glenfield as a Parish Councillor. In over 40 years he served on most committees and was Chair in 1996. His interest in politics, and his commitment to serving the community began much earlier though. Councillor Russell was politically active in the 1950s. His first role was on the Brierley Hill Urban District Council. This youngest councillor ignored the usual advice to sit and observe for a year before attempting to make a contribution to debates, and ruffled feathers from his very first meeting (this trait continued!). He also unsuccessfully fought two General Election Parliamentary seats, Edgbaston and Shrewsbury, and was active on the Labour Party national scene. Alongside all this, he was a very involved with the Trades Councils. His interest in politics never waned, though he was frequently exasperated with our various governments. He was, like all of us, so much more than the sum of his jobs. Ken had a great appetite for travel, and crammed as much in as he could. His job took him to Las Vegas as a visiting professor, he participated in cultural exchange visits to Tahiti and India, holidayed behind the Iron Curtain and rode
the Trans-Siberian Railway. His journeys included places as varied as Guatemala, Damascus, Canada, Sweden, New York, Syndey, Cuba, Mexico, Switzerland and very many more. All this was underpinned by a restless energy, persistence and determination to make the most of each day. As a genuinely creative thinker, he was adaptable enough to deal with all that life brought. His mischievous sense of fun thankfully never deserted him. Despite the considerable demands on his time, Ken always took the opportunity to help others; as well as supporting charities, he was generous with his time and advice to many individuals over the years. Ken was rightly satisfied with his achievements, but remained a humble man, refreshingly lacking in ego. He leaves his wife Nichola and son Toby, two children Nicola and Simon and grand and great-grandchildren by an earlier marriage, and very many friends. He will be deeply missed in Glenfield and far beyond.
Nichola Pell
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